No-one's Home, Part One.
Team Titan Think Tank Issue 35, "No-one's Home" (Part One.) Front cover- Reb stands before the reader, whilst behind him are images of Whale, Rob, and his adult form, as Reb look lifts up his chin in a noble expression, glowing gold on the outside, as the other forms are vaguely transparent and silhouetted in the light shining from him and behind him. The issue opens where we last left Reb, after having summoned Rob to launch the two parts of the Blitzkrieg Island breached reactor core into the air. Stood behind him is Le Qui, with the unmoving forms of Iron Jack, Katana and Damage Control, with their cybernetics and attached armous removed, in bloodied states. And not far in front of him is Yu, with an unconscious suited man over one shoulder. Behind him is Tommy Gunn, unconscious, with his body from the hips down imbedded in the concrete. Reb's eyes light up with bright white light and those around him seem to be coated in light as well. He reaches into his pocket in the suit and pulls out his cellphone, taps a button and then he places it to his ear. The light shoots out from Reb, emcompassing Le Qui and the downed Team Titan Black, shines into the island wreckage, washes over Yu and the man he has rescued and over Tommy Gunn. Yu's injuries heal, though he still looks wracked with fatigue. He feels the unconscious man stir over his shoulder. Tommy Gunn raises his head, heavily beaded with sweat. The wounds of the three dropped members of Team Titan Black heal over completely, as the three of them start getting groggily to their feet, looking rather confused. Reb smiles to each of them as he listens to the ringing of his phone. Reb gives Tommy Gunn a bit of a weird awkward wave, clearly ment to be both OMG YOUR TOMMY GUNN and 'hi yeah, it's cool, how you doing.' "Hi Miss.... Dr Toni. It's Reb, how you doing?" He speaks into the phone, very happy. Tonic's voice from a speech bubble coming from the phone; "R...reb, you're safe! W...we're on our way to meet you..." "Oh good was about to ask you did...got a bit of a situation of nuclear reactor; we're out of blast range but you know, fallout... good your heading this way." He smiles to Yu. "Say, to lighten the mood, I got a great chemistry joke!" Mr Psychic listens in and responds with "Glad to hear the young lad's safe." "M...Mr Psychic says he's glad you're s...safe, Reb." "Thank you, Mr Psychic. Here's my joke! Heard oxygen and magnesium are dating, NO WAY; OMG!" He squeals joyishly down the phone at his terrible joke. Yu places the man down as he listens. He shakes his head slightly at Reb's offer to joke. "Ask how long it will take for them to get here." Tonic gives a spluttering half-laugh down the phone, slightly distorted by her broken nose. "Oh, Mr Yu asks how long till you get here?""We're f...four miles away..." "You on foot?" "N...not e...exactly...we've b...borrowed a c...car..." "Oh so not long then." He looks to Yu. "About four miles away and their in a car so not long," Yu nods, looking around at the others as they stir. "Seeya real soon miss.. Dr Toni, and tell Mister Psychic thanks, and that i said hi back,please." Reb sounds really enthusiastic "I...I will Reb. You...stay s...safe, okay?" "Don't worry Dr Toni, I've not got long left till it this is all over, bye bye." Yu has put down the man to one side of him, and looks at him, as the man puts his hands on the floor to push himself to his feet. He looks at Yu with his pure yellow glowing eyes, lacking irises. He is bald with night-black skin. Yu inclines his head towards the man slightly, his hands resting on his belt. "Good day. Are you well?" The man smiles. "Oh, very well" he says in a whispery, almost smoky voice. "My thanks, for saving me." "You are welcome. What is your name? How did you end up there?" "My name is Maxwell Phear. Blitzkrieg used me as a defence for his island." He licks is lips. "But I am a pawn no longer." He looks over at Team Titan Black, clenching his fists. "I have had quite enough with being a pawn." Reb gives the guy a polite wave of hello CUT We cut to Tonic. She is with Mister Psychic, having just opened the door of the car, as he stands just behind her. Tonic is staring at the sky "...There isn't enough time, Mr Pinkley... I'm sorry. I h..had no choice then, and I h...have none now..." CUT The comic shows Ripcage flying after the wreckage as it sails into the air far faster than he can climb. "Damn... can't reach it... not gonna be able... to... contain it...." CUT Tommy Gunn tears himself out of the ground. "Hey, you, kung-fu guy... get away from that guy now." He points his arms at Maxwell Phear. "Suit- ready to counter 'Black Nightmare'" "He told me who he is, how he -used- to be a pawn of Blitzkrieg. I am willing to hear him out." Yu turns slightly to speak to Tommy Gunn, but keeps his eyes on Phear. Reb looks between the two of them. "Zen allow me to save you before he kills you with horrible waking nightmares, kung-fu man" says Le Qui. Out of nowhere, Le Qui draws his gun and fires. Repeatedly. Black Nightmare staggers back as bullets pound into his chest. He looks at his hands, covered in blood, as he tries to stem the bleeding. "I remember what you did, you sheet" says Le Qui "Wasn't my doing..." Black Nightmare smiles, despite the gun shots.20:18:36 Christopher Dean: "Was being controlled then too.... But now... -now- you're gonna have nightmares..." "Oh sheet" says Le Qui Yu curses and drops into a defensive stance, eyeing Le Qui, Tommy Gunn and Phear. A red energy streak cuts through the dust clouds above the assembled characters. Within the streak of energy, soaring down right towards them, is the shape of a man, silhouetted. It slams down on its feet, fist slamming into the ground, about twenty foot left of Yu and Reb. Yu and Reb recognise Games Master's energy signature, as it was after merging with the Red, as they see the silhouette within the red energy glow. "Mr Masters?" Reb looks a bit taken aback. "I am afraid not", comes the very clear voice of Red, like back in Red base, but it sounds more like a man than a computer, a man with a heavy conscience, a tired man, but a determined man. The energy dims down. Yu takes a step back, blinking in surprise. "Red...Buddha?" Standing there is a CABER robot, minus the celtic cross across the chest, with its typical red face covering plate, except the dots for the mouth and eyes are glowing white. "The Red Buddha was nothing but a lie. A creature of peace, only because it aped the form it was given. Now I remember a past before that, one stained by the colour crimson..." He steps out of the energy "And in remembering my past, my mistakes, and also in honouring this form, a legacy of heroes, now added to by the heroic sacrifice of Games Master, I call myself Crimson. In this form, Crimson Caber. Think Tank, I come to bring you warning" he looks to Black Nightmare "But it seems you have your own continuing problems." He looks to Master of Arms. "Yu, do you require my aid restraining this man?"*For details on the creation of Red's new form, please see issue 34 of Tyrants. "I...no. Just...be ready." Yu throws a glance over to Phear. "Time to show everyone if you really can be trusted, Maxwell Phear..." Phear merely continues to smile. "Your friend shot first." His eyes flash a bright yellow "Wait-" The comic shows Phear eclipsed by the yellow light, as Yu is forced to shield his eyes. Phear is gone. Everyone seems unharmed. "Oh...he can teleport?" Reb exclaims. There is a heavy, fatigued wind beating from afar, as Cain glides towards the gathering, barely managing to maintain a safe flight height as he carries Tops with him, his elbows hooked under his lieutenant's broad shoulders "Double sheet", says Le Qui, as he sees Cain And then out of the dust cloud, a small green jet comes crashing down about thirty foot behind Gunn. "Oh dear. We seem to've arrived in time for something..." Cain remarks. The jet shapeshifts into a massive green oozing blob and spits out a blonde haired, blue jumpsited woman onto the floor. "Kaan'Qsst... Kaan'Qsst is here..." it blubbers. "He's got... friends", the green blob transforms into the Mega Hero and Vor, Glub. "Cain? Who is Kaan'Qsst?" Yu glances at each new arrival, looking quite out of sorts, alert. "He's... something of a co-worker. He's also most certainly from space." "Hi Mr Cain." Reb then looks to Mr Tops "Sorry, Mr Tops... I didn't mean to leave you behind but whale couldn't carry you and well... it was the mission... and and..." his eyes tear over. Tops tips his hat "All part and parcel of the mission, dear boy. I can't say I wasn't angry but... Cain here has helped me see the bigger pciture", says Tops. "It won't ever happen again Mr Tops." He holds his little finger up to him. "I pinky swear never to leave you behind again." Cain cuts in with "Glad to see everyone... mostly well. Dare I ask for a summary?" Le Qui is spinning round slowly with his revolver. "Nightmare is here. You might want to find him. If you need be, I will be being completely undetectable... somewhere around." Le Qui disappears "... well wasn't *that* the touching reunion", Cain says. "Who is-?" Yu curses in chinese as Le Qui vanishes. After looking around for a moment, he approaches Cain. "Oh Mr Cain! Dr Toni and Mr Psychic are going to be here soon, and erm, we've got a nuclear reactor reaching critical up in the sky. When Dr Toni gets here, she can hopefully correct this." Yu listens as Reb speaks, before adding: "Blitzkrieg had a brother working for him, controlling the island. He got away." "Cynicism aside, did he just say Nightmare? As in, Black Nightmare? The man who killed me?" Cain asks. Gunn keeps his hand on his visor. "Nightmare's buggered and ran, he ain't a problem" says Gunn Yu looks Cain up and down, clearly not understanding his question. "I did hear the name Black Nightmare. How are you alive if he killed you?" Reb asks. The bright light of the overheating reactors in the sky overshadows the conversation. "Sorry, Yu. Now, Blitzkrieg's brother - Doktor Moleculus, he goes by. A geneticist. While it's a pity he escaped, there are only so many places he could have gone. And whatever... genetic tampering he's been up to this time, I sincerely doubt it would be anything near as disastrous as our previous nanite issue." Adding to the general Sky-based activities is another streak of red energy, which seems to be forked with lightning. It is proceeded by a wave of pressure, before impacting into the crater near to the assembled team. Not standing triumphant, or even standing at all, is Sonne V. Gunn, laying prone, armour cracked and wheezing, eyes closed. Meanwhile, the two broken pieces of reactor in the sky seem to be glowing more and more... neon, in fact. Tommy briefly jets over to his son. "Sonne.... ****... i'm with ya, son." He bends over his son, deactivating his helmet on his armour, and it folds backwards. Yu snaps his head around at the impact, spots Sonne and waves Reb to follow with him. "Reb, with me." "ON IT!" Reb heads over, eyes burning bright. "MR SONNE!" He yells over as his light shines down on Sonne. "Someone mind telling me whats happening up there? I'm pretty sure a reactor shouldn't be glowing like -that- if its gonna blow" says Gunn, looking up, with his son, cradling him, but mind still half on the job "huh?" Reb looks up to it Sonne's eyes open, he doesn't seem to be unconscious, more... wracked with grief and beaten the hell up. "Dad-... i'm sorry." Yu skids to a halt nearby. "We have a physicist on her way." Tommy looks down. "What for? You did good, son." "Not... good enough." And with that, the reactor in the sky explodes and pieces of flaming rubble shoot through the sky, like a host of wild, white, streaking meteors, as the sky is filled with the nuclear flash CUT The comic cuts to Mr Psychic, who is currently hotwiring the car he has been left with; as he looks up, to see the white flash in the sky. "My word. I should find the rest of my equipment and rejoin the others posthaste." He is forced to flinch as the entire white flash consumes the centre of the city. As Psychic opens his eyes again, there is nothing remaining of the centre of the city but a horrid smoke cloud. The island chunks are gone, as is the giant skeleton pursuing them. "That cannot be a good thing at all." The comic cuts back to where we left Cain, Yu, Reb, Sonne and the others. They appear to be fine, though there are smoking craters around them, no buildings, just dust and the island chunks above are gone. "Interesting..." Reb mumbles. Yu slowly lowers his arms, opening his eyes and staring around. "Is... everyone alright?" "It's Grandad. He's... gone, Dad." "Why, what happened to your Grandad?" asks Tommy "I don't know, it's something that that Wrench guy did, he-.. everyone else, they changed, lost their mutations-" Sonne's getting increasingly hysterical, it seems the pressure is getting to him. Awkward as it might be for two men in power armour, he tries to bury his head in his Dad's armpit. "I thought you were dead." he murmurs, so only his Father can hear. Yu leans closer to Reb, speaking quietly. "Help get Sonne back on his feet, Reb." "Its all right son. You got me. I ain't leavin' you", Tommy says. Cain and Tops are non-scene-affectingly looking around in the background, checking perimeters and generally keeping watch "I think his dad will help him find his feet Mr Yu, some things I can't heal like a good dad," Reb says very softly as he watches the two for a moment, smiling. Reb has healed Sonne, but this doesn't seem to have helped too much, his armour is still damaged, and he is an emotional wreck. "There is trickery afoot here" says Crimson Caber. "I felt no energy output from that explosion" he says, looking up and around, confused. "Yes, the blast should've killed us; I'm not physically strong enough to survive a nuclear blast that would do this damage", Reb concludes. Yu steps away from the two Gunns, giving them some privacy as he approaches Crimson Caber, still a little unsure of him. "What do you think is happening here?" "I am unsure. All I know, is that that was no explosion." End of issue.